If the murmurings of Canadian sportscaster Darren Dreger are to believed, the People’s Republic of China may see a preseason NHL game as early as next year.
While details are scarce, Dreger indicated that the Vancouver Canucks and LA Kings could play an exhibition game in either Beijing or Shanghai – an exciting prospect for China’s hockey aficionados.
Although the ‘Nucks and Kings were specifically mentioned by Dreger, he also stated that several other teams have expressed a desire to participate in a preseason game in China and that nothing has been finalized.
An NHL excursion to the PRC would be a first, though the league has a long history of venturing into new territory – including countless European tours and several visits to Japan. A 2017 visit to China would arguably come at an opportune time, considering Beijing’s recent decision to make winter sports mandatory in schools in the lead-up to the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing and Zhangjiakou.
If the National Hockey League did pay us a visit next year it would come roughly 12 months after China’s first professional hockey team, skating under the KHL banner, hit the ice in the nation’s capital.
Admittedly, ticket sales for Beijing’s HC Kunlun Red Star have not met expectations, so an NHL visit may add a little fuel to China’s slow-burning hockey fire. At the very least, if the league can replicate the success of the NBA when it comes to merchandise sales and TV rights in the PRC, they are bound to make a pretty penny.
READ MORE: Is Hockey Growing in China?
[Images via Los Angeles Times, Sports Illustrated]
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